College can be one of the most wonderful periods of your life, but it can also leave you with lifelong health scars if you aren't careful. For example, there are some "innocent" habits that college students love, but they can cause serious damages to the eyes. Here are a few examples of these habits:

Sharing Makeup

It's understandable that you want to look good with a limited budget, but that shouldn't lead you to start sharing makeup. Sharing makeup can spread germs, especially those that attack the skin and eyes. The applicators, containers, and brushes are especially notorious for harboring bacteria due to their constant wetness.

Also, don't accept a friend's old makeup, especially if you don't know their expiration date; expired makeup can also cause eye infections. It's better to wear cheap makeup and maintain healthy eyes than to wear expensive makeup that can cause harm to your health.

Using Computers Without Breaks

Everybody knows that good grades are important, but they shouldn't come at the expense of eye problems. Studying without taking frequent breaks will harm your eyes, especially if it involves staring at computer screens. It can lead to a condition known as computer eye strain or computer vision syndrome, whose complications include dry eyes, blurred vision, and eye irritation, among others. Take these measures to prevent computer vision syndrome:

• Use proper lighting in your study area
• Reduce glare
• Adjust screen brightness to match that of the surrounding
• Take regular breaks from the screen

Playing Sports Without Eye Protection

Eye injuries are common with college students. There are many ways you can get an eye injury while playing. For example, a ball can hit your eye, sand can get into your eyes and a competitor can scratch your eyes. Some sporting activities cause more injuries than others; examples of high-risk sports include basketball, baseball, and water sports. In fact, sports and recreational activities cause over 40,000 eye injuries every year. This shouldn't be the case given that over 90% of these injuries can be prevented. Prevention is as simple as wearing protective glasses to keep things from reaching your eyes.

Hopefully, the above tips will help you and you will go through your college years without suffering eye injuries. If something does happen, however, seek medical help from an optometrist as soon as possible. It's true that the body can heal itself, but your healing will be faster and efficient if its facilitated by medical care.